Glossary & Endnotes

1. Balanced population growth

   Balanced population growth would see a stable or increasing proportion of the population aged between 0-15 years and an increased proportion of the population aged between 16-64 years. The benefits of a more even spread of non-working and working age groups include increased ability to fund services (offset structural ageing), and the demand for age related services is more able to be serviced (offset numeric ageing).

2. Infrastructure

   Infrastructure refers to the physical and organisational facilities and assets that are necessary for the functioning and development of a region, city, or state. It encompasses transport networks (roads, bridges, railways, ports), utilities (water supply, sewage systems, electricity and telecommunication grids), as well as the social components of housing, health, education and aged care that are critical to society. It is a vital aspect of urban and regional development to enhance the quality of life and promote economic growth.

3. Place-based approaches

   Place-based approaches target the specific circumstances of a place and engage local people as active participants in development and implementation, requiring government to share decision-making. Place-based approaches can complement the bigger picture of services and infrastructure. They engage with issues and opportunities that are driven by complex, intersecting local factors and require cross-sectoral or long-term responses.³

4. Liveability

   A liveable place is somewhere that is safe, attractive, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable; with affordable and diverse types of housing, public open space, local shops, health and community services, leisure and cultural opportunities; with opportunities for employment and education all accessible by convenient public transport, walking and cycling.⁴

5. Smart, sustainable cities and towns

   A ‘smart city’ is one that uses information and communication technology to enhance its liveability, workability and sustainability (Adam Beck). ‘Smart’ can be people, process and technology.⁵

6. Urban

   There is no standard definition of ‘urban’, which differs substantially between countries. However, most agree that the term ‘urban’ refers to cities or towns along with the suburban fringe around them.

7. Fertility rate

   The fertility rate of a country, state or region is the average number of children a woman has in their lifetime. It is expressed as children per woman. Alongside deaths and migration, fertility is an element of population growth, reflecting both the causes and effects of economic and social developments.⁶

8. Early Childhood Education and Care

   Early Childhood Education and Care, sometimes referred to as childcare or preschool, is delivered by qualified educators through a formalised learning framework to instil social, physical, emotional, personal, creative, and cognitive learning in young children (generally from infancy to school age).⁷

9. Social cohesion

   Social cohesion is about how the community operates together in a diverse society and the willingness of members of society to cooperate with each other in order to survive and prosper.⁸

10. Sustainability

Sustainability is making the right choices today, to ensure the future health of the planet and all who live and depend on it. Sustainability is understanding how individual and social wellbeing, the economy, and the environment are inseparable and interdependent. Social factors like poverty, food security, access to education, decent work, and safe and resilient communities, are all concerns for sustainability action. The terms ‘sustainability’ and ‘sustainable development’ are often used interchangeably. In the 1987 report titled “Our Common Future”9 by the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, known as the Brundtland Commission, sustainable development is defined as – ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.

11. Wellbeing

Wellbeing can mean different things to different people, but it generally includes economy, health, education, safety, housing, living standards, environment and climate, social inclusion and connection, identity and belonging, good governance, and access and services.¹⁰

Endnotes

1. http://treasury.gov.au/publication/2023-intergenerational-report
2. http://abs.gov.au/articles/snapshot-tas-2021
3. https://www.vic.gov.au/framework-place-based-approaches/executive-summary
4. https://auo.org.au/measure/
5. http://www.smartcitiescouncil.com/article/2022-defining-smart-cities-again
6. https://data.oecd.org/pop/fertility-rates.htm
7. https://https://www.education.gov.au/early-childhood/about-early-childhood-education-and-care-australia
8. https://scanloninstitute.org.au/research/mapping-social-cohesion/what-social-cohesion
9. http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/5987our-common-future.pdf
10. http://premier.tas.gov.au/site_resources_2015/additional_releases/progressing_tasmanias_first_wellbeing_framework